ELECTRO-OPTIC DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS
An electro-optic device includes a display unit having a display area and a plurality of sound generating members, the plurality of sound generating members each include a speaker which is arranged so as to overlap the display area in plan view, and a sound releasing hole that outputs sounds generated by the speaker toward the outside, wherein the plurality of sound releasing holes which constitutes the plurality of sound generating members are arranged on the outside of the display area in plan view along part of the sides of the display area.
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1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electro-optic device having a display unit and a plurality of sound generating members, and an electronic apparatus provided with the electro-optic device.
2. Related Art
In recent years, electro-optic devices such as liquid crystal display device are widely provided as a display device for displaying various types of information relating to electronic apparatus as an image in an electronic apparatus such as mobile phones or mobile information terminal. The electro-optic device is a device that controls the state of optical output by electrical input, and examples include liquid crystal display devices, EL (Electra Luminescence) devices, and plasma display devices.
The electronic apparatus also includes means that generates sounds. For example, in the case of the mobile phone, it is necessary to express the content of what a person on the other side of the phone talks with a voice, and hence a sound generating member such as a speaker is provided as the means that generates sounds.
The electronic apparatus provided both with the electro-optic device and the sound generating member is known in the related art. The electronic apparatus provided with a plurality of the sound generating members is also known. (For example, see JP-A-2003-078601, JP-A-2003-158787) The demand for downsizing of electronic apparatus is also increasing.
However, in the electronic apparatus provided both with the electro-optic device and the sound generating member in the related art, it is necessary to secure a large surface area around the display unit of the electro-optic device for arranging the sound generating member. Therefore, the surface area around the display unit cannot be reduced, and hence a demand for downsizing is not sufficiently satisfied. In particular, the electronic apparatus provided with a plurality of sound generating members has a problem that a large surface area for arranging the sound generating members is required.
SUMMARYAn advantage of some aspects of the invention is an electro-optic device in which the surface area around a display unit required for arranging a sound generating member may be reduced so that a demand for downsizing the electronic equipment can be sufficiently satisfied.
An advantage of another aspect of the invention is a compact electronic apparatus provided with the electro-optic device.
In order to achieve the above-described advantages, it is considered to reduce the surface area around the display unit required for arranging the sound generating members by reducing the size of the sound generating member. However, when the size of the sound generating member is reduced, the volume that the sound generating member generates may be insufficient, and hence the volume is reduced. In order to solve this problem, the inventor found that the problem is solved by arranging the speaker and the display unit so as to overlap with each other in plan view. In this case, the surface area around the display unit may be reduced while securing the size of the speaker sufficiently. However, in this case as well, it is necessary to secure a large surface area around the display unit in order to arrange a sound conducting channel or a sound releasing hole for outputting sounds generated by the speaker toward the outside. Therefore, the demand for downsizing is not sufficiently satisfied.
In order to achieve the above-described advantages, it is considered to reduce the size of the sound releasing hole. However, when the size of the sound releasing hole is reduced, the sound generated by the speaker is not released sufficiently. Therefore, even when the speaker has a performance to generate a sufficient volume, the volume generated by the sound generating member may be insufficient. Therefore, the size of the sound releasing hole cannot be reduced, and hence the surface area around the display unit cannot be reduced sufficiently.
In the device having one sound conducting channel for securing the opening surface area of the sound releasing hole, it is considered to provide a plurality of small sound releasing holes. However, since the sound releasing holes are openings of the sound conducting channel, they must be provided at positions in the area around the display unit which overlap with the sound conducting channels in plan view. Therefore, even when the plurality of small sized sound releasing holes are provided, there may be a case in which the respective sound releasing holes cannot be arranged adequately to reduce the surface area of the peripheral area, and hence the surface area around the display unit can not be reduced sufficiently.
After having devoted himself to study, the inventor found that the surface area around the display unit required for arranging the sound generating member may be reduced by arranging the speaker and the display area so as to overlap with each other in plan view and arranging the sound releasing holes provided for the respective plurality of sound generating member in a peripheral area along a part of the sides of the display area, and hence an electro-optic device and an electronic apparatus according to an aspect of the invention are provided.
An electro-optic device according to an aspect of the invention includes a display unit having a rectangular display area and a plurality of sound generating members, the plurality of sound generating members each include a speaker which is arranged so as to overlap the display area in plan view, and a sound releasing hole that outputs sounds generated by the speaker toward the outside, wherein the plurality of sound releasing holes which constitutes the plurality of sound generating members are arranged on the outside of the display area in plan view along part of the sides of the display area.
In the electro-optic device according to an aspect of the invention, since the plurality of sound generating members each include the speaker which is arranged so as to overlap the display area in plan view, the surface area of the peripheral area required for arranging the sound generating members may be reduced in comparison with the case in which the speakers are arranged so as not to overlap the display area in plan view.
In addition, in the electro-optic device according to an aspect of the invention, since the plurality of sound releasing holes which constitute the plurality of sound generating members are arranged in the peripheral area which is located on the outside of the display area in plan view along part of the sides of the display area, it is not necessary to secure the surface area for arranging the sound generating members in the peripheral area along three sides except for one side in case of a rectangular display area, whereby the surface area of the peripheral area required for arranging the sound generating members may be significantly reduced.
Preferably, the dimensions of the sound releasing hole are configured in such a manner that the dimension of the direction orthogonal to the direction extending along an outer edge of the display area is shorter than the dimension of the direction along the outer edge of the display area.
According to the electro-optic device in this configuration, when the surface areas of the sound releasing holes are the same, the surface area of the peripheral area required for arranging the sound releasing holes may be reduced in comparison with that having the dimensions such that the dimension of the direction orthogonal to the direction extending along an outer edge of the display area is longer than the dimension of the direction along the outer edge of the display area.
Preferably, the plurality of speakers which constitute the plurality of sound generating members are arranged in line so as not overlap with each other in plan view.
The electro-optic device in this configuration achieves a thin profile in comparison with that having the plurality of speakers arranged so as to overlap with each other in plan view.
Preferably, the plurality of speakers which constitute the plurality of sound generating members are arranged so as to overlap at least partly with each other in plan view.
The electro-optic device in this configuration achieves a further compact profile in comparison with that having the plurality of speakers arranged so as not to overlap with each other in plan view.
An electro-optic device according to an aspect of the invention includes a display unit having a display area and a sound generating member, wherein the sound generating member includes a speaker arranged so as to overlap the display area in plan view, an air chamber which comes in surface contact with the speaker, a plurality of sound releasing holes arranged in a peripheral area located on the outside of the display area in plan view, and a plurality of branched sound conducting channels each of which communicates each of the plurality of sound releasing holes and the air chamber.
In the electro-optic device according to an aspect of the invention, since the speaker is arranged so as to overlap the display area in plan view, the surface area of the peripheral area required for arranging the sound generating member may be reduced in comparison with the case in which the display area and the speaker do not overlap with each other in plan view.
In addition, in the electro-optic device according to an aspect of the invention, since there are provided the plurality of the sound releasing holes and the sound conducting channels which communicate with the sound releasing holes respectively, the size of the individual sound releasing holes may be reduced while securing the opening surface areas of the sound releasing holes. Since the sound generating member includes the plurality of sound releasing holes arranged in the peripheral area and the plurality of branched sound conducting channels each of which communicates each of the plurality of sound releasing holes and the air chamber, the respective sound releasing holes and the branched portion of the sound conducting channels which communicate with each of the sound releasing holes may be regarded as one set, and hence the one set may be arranged adequately so as to reduce the surface area of the peripheral area. Therefore, the arrangement of the respective sound releasing holes is not determined by the arrangement of the sound conducting channels, and hence the sound releasing holes may be arranged adequately, so that the surface area of the peripheral area may be significantly reduced.
Preferably, the plurality of sound releasing holes are arranged in a row along the outer edge of the display area.
With the electro-optic device in this configuration, the surface area of the peripheral area required for arranging the sound releasing holes and the sound conducting channels may be reduced further effectively.
Preferably, the display area has a rectangular shape and all the plurality of sound releasing holes are arranged along one side of the rectangle.
According to the electro-optic device in this configuration, since all the plurality of sound releasing holes are arranged along the one side of the rectangle, the surface area of the peripheral area required for arranging the sound releasing holes and the sound conducting channels may be reduced in comparison with the case in which the plurality of the sound releasing holes are arranged along the two or more sides of the rectangle.
Preferably, the plurality of sound generating members may be provided.
With the electro-optic device in this configuration, the sound generating member which can generate a plurality of sounds simultaneously and hence provide quality sounds is provided.
Preferably, the plurality of speakers which constitute the plurality of sound generating members are arranged so as not to overlap with each other in pan view.
The electro-optic device in this configuration achieves a thin profile in comparison with that including the plurality of speakers arranged so as to overlap with each other in plan view.
Preferably, the plurality of speakers which constitute the plurality of sound generating members may be arranged so as to overlap partly with each other in plan view.
The electro-optic device in this configuration may achieve a further compact profile in comparison with that including the plurality of speakers arranged so as not to overlap with each other in plan view.
Preferably, the display area has a rectangular shape, the plurality of sound generating members are divided into a first group and a second group, the plurality of sound releasing holes of the sound generating members which constitute the first group are all arranged along one side of the rectangle, and the plurality of sound releasing holes of the sound generating members which constitute the second group are all arranged along the side opposing one side of the rectangle.
With the electro-optic device in this configuration with the provision of the sound generating members which generates a plurality of sounds simultaneously, a sufficient distance may be secured between the sound releasing holes of the first group and the sound releasing holes of the second group. Therefore, and hence the sound generating member which has a high effect stereo sound and is superior in sound quality is provided.
In addition, since the plurality of sound releasing holes are arranged along the two opposed sides of the rectangle, the surface area of the peripheral area required for arranging the sound releasing holes and the sound conducting channels may be effectively reduced in comparison with the case in which the plurality of sound releasing holes are arranged along the three or more sides of the rectangle.
Preferably, the dimensions of the sound releasing hole are configured in such a manner that the dimension of the direction orthogonal to the direction extending along an outer edge of the display area is shorter than the dimension of the direction along the outer edge of the display area.
According to the electro-optic device in this configuration, when the surface areas of the sound releasing holes are the same, the surface area of the peripheral area required for arranging the sound releasing holes may be reduced in comparison with that having the dimensions such that the dimension of the direction orthogonal to the direction extending along an outer edge of the display area is longer than the dimension of the direction along the outer edge of the display area.
An electronic apparatus according to an aspect of the invention includes any one of electro-optic devices described above.
With the electronic apparatus configured as described above, a compact electronic apparatus is realized.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.
Referring now to the drawings, an embodiment of the invention will be described below. In the drawings used in the description shown below, contraction scale is differentiated for the respective layers and the respective members in order to present the respective layers and the respective members in recognizable scales in the drawings.
An electro-optic device 1A shown in
In this embodiment, an example having two sound generating members, that is, the first sound generating member 21 and the second sound generating member 22 will be described. However, the number of sound generating member may be three or more.
The display area 6a of the liquid crystal display device 2 has a rectangular shape as shown in
The frame 4 is formed of, for example, resin, and is formed substantially into a quadratic prism or a square plate in appearance. One of the surfaces of the frame 4 (the lower surface in
The speakers 3a and 3b generate sounds and, as shown in
The two sound releasing holes 10a and 10b which constitute the first sound generating member 21 and the second sound generating member 22 are arranged in a peripheral area 4a located on the outside of the display area 6a in plan view as shown in
The sound releasing hole 10a is arranged so that the center of a width d1 of the peripheral area 4a substantially matches the center of the width d3 of the sound releasing hole 10a in the direction orthogonal to the direction along the outer edge 6d of the sound releasing hole 10a. With the arrangement such that the center of the width d1 of the peripheral area 4a matches the center of the width d3 of the sound releasing hole 10a, when the surface area of the peripheral area 4a is reduced, the strength of the peripheral portion of the sound releasing hole 10a is easily secured.
The frame 4 is formed with the two sound conducting channels 9a and 9b which constitute the first sound generating member 21 and the second sound generating member 22. The sound conducting channels 9a and 9b are provided so as to communicate the sound releasing holes 10a and 10b and the first air chambers 8a and 8b respectively.
The holding frame 5 is formed of metal such as aluminum or stainless steel, and is formed into a shape like a square pipe having a rectangular shape in plan view. As shown in
In the first sound generating member 21 and the second sound generating member 22 shown in
A recess 4b having a rectangular shape in plan view is provided at a center of the other surface of the frame 4 (the upper surface in
The illumination device 7 is arranged on the side of the frame 4 (lower side) of the liquid crystal panel 6, and serves as a backlight. The illumination device 7 may be configured to function as a front light by arranging on the observing side of the liquid crystal panel 6. The illumination device 7 may be configured, for example with a plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) as light sources and a light guide. In the illumination device 7 of this type, light rays emitted from the LEDs are converted into a surface light by the light guide and supplied to the liquid crystal panel 6. The light sources may be a point light source other than the LED, or a linear light source such as a cold-cathode tube.
As the liquid crystal panel 6, for example, a liquid crystal panel formed by sealing liquid crystal between a pair of light-transmissive substrates each having an electrode may be employed. Polarized plates each having a polarization axis shifted as needed are provided respectively on the outer surfaces of the pair of light-transmissive substrates. When the surface light is supplied from the illumination device 7 to the liquid crystal panel 6, the light passing through the liquid crystal is modulated in each pixel by controlling the voltage to be applied to the pair of electrodes independently in each pixel, and the images such as characters, numbers or patterns are displayed on the light-exit side of the polarizing plate by allowing the modulated light to pass through the polarizing plate.
The liquid crystal panel 6 may be configured with arbitrary display modes. For example, the liquid crystal driving system may either be a simple matrix system or an active matrix system. The type of the liquid crystal mode may be, for example, TN (Twisted Nematic), STN (Super Twisted Nematic). The lighting system may be any one of transmissive, reflective, and transflective types. In this embodiment, the illumination device 7 is employed, and hence the lighting system is of the transmissive or the transflective type.
According to the electro-optic device 1A in this embodiment, the first sound generating member 21 and the second sound generating member 22 have the speakers 3a and 3b arranged so as to overlap the display area 6a in plan view. Therefore, the surface area of the peripheral area 4a required for arranging the first sound generating member 21 and the second sound generating member 22 can be reduced in comparison with the case in which the display area 6a and the speakers 3a and 3b are arranged so as not to be overlapped with each other in plan view.
Referring now to
A different point of the electro-optic device shown in
Since the electro-optic device shown in
In contrast, in the case of the electro-optic device 1A shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1A in this embodiment, since the speakers 3a and 3b are arranged so as not to be overlapped with respect to each other in plan view, a thinner electro-optic device is achieved in comparison with the case in which the speakers 3a and 3b are arranged so as overlap with each other.
In addition, according to the electro-optic device 1A in this embodiment, since the speakers 3a and 3b are arranged so as not to be overlapped with each other in plan view, the length of the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b may be equalized in both the first sound generating member 21 and the second sound generating member 22, and the phase of the sound outputted from the sound releasing holes 10a and 10b may be equalized, whereby a well balanced sound, which is ear friendly for the viewer, is advantageously achieved.
According to the electro-optic device 1A in this embodiment, since the sound releasing holes 10a and 10b are provided on the same surface as the display area 6a, the sound is ear friendly to the viewer viewing the display.
In the electro-optic device 1A in this embodiment, the two sound releasing holes 10a and 10b are arranged in the peripheral area 4a along the long side 6e which is one side of the rectangular display area 6a. However, it is also possible to arrange the two sound releasing holes 10a and 10b in the peripheral area 4a along the short side 6b or the short side 6c which is one side of the rectangular display area 6a. Preferably, the two sound releasing holes 10a and 10b are arranged so as to match the lateral direction of the image displayed in the liquid crystal display device 2. With the arrangement of the two sound releasing holes 10a and 10b so as to match the lateral direction of the image displayed in the liquid crystal display device 2, the sound is ear friendly to the viewer viewing the display.
When the two sound releasing holes 10a and 10b are arranged in the peripheral area 4a along the long side 6e which is one side of the rectangular display area 6a, the distance between the two sound releasing holes 10a and 10b may be increased in comparison with the case in which the two sound releasing holes 10a and 10b are arranged in the peripheral area 4a along the short side 6b or the short side 6c, which is one side of the rectangular display area 6a. Therefore, the sound generating member which has a high effect stereo sound and is superior in sound quality is provided.
According to the electro-optic device 1A in this embodiment, an example in which the speakers 3a and 3b are supported by the frame 4 by the supporting frame 14 being secured to the lower surface of the frame 4 has been described. However, the invention is not limited to the above-describe embodiment and, for example, the speakers 3a and 3b may be supported by the holding frame 5 by the supporting frame 14 being secured to the inner surface of the holding frame 5 via the shock absorbing members 23 as in the case of an electro-optic device 2A shown in
As shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1A shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1B in this embodiment, a sound conducting channel 91 of the first sound generating member 21 is formed in the frame 41 and the holding frame 51 as shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1B in this embodiment, the sound conducting channel 91 and 9b are formed so as to extend from the center of the display area 6a in the inclined direction with respect to the long side 6e thereof and in the direction apart from each other in plan view, and the two sound releasing holes 10a and 10b are arranged in line so as not to be overlapped with respect to each other in plan view as shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1B in this embodiment, since the speakers 3a and 3b are arranged so as to overlap with each other in plan view, it is difficult to form the sound conducting channels 91 and 9b for the first sound generating member 21 and the second sound generating member 22 in the same length. Therefore, according to the electro-optic device 1B in this embodiment, it is preferable to differentiate the cross-sectional areas of the sound conducting channel 91 and the sound conducting channel 9b significantly to compensate the difference in sound quality caused by the difference in length between the sound conducting channels 91 and 9b and equalize the phase of the sounds generated from the sound releasing holes 10a and 10b More specifically, the difference in sound quality caused by the difference in length of the sound conducting channels 91, 9b are adequately compensated by a method of increasing the cross-sectional area of the sound conducting channel 91, which is the longer one, or a method of reducing the cross-sectional area of the sound conducting channel 9b, which is the shorter one, whereby a well balanced sound, which is ear friendly for the viewer, is advantageously achieved.
Referring now to
A different point of the electro-optic device shown in
Like the electro-optic device shown in
In contrast, according to the electro-optic device 1B shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1B shown in
In addition, according to the electro-optic device 1B shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1A shown in
As shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1C in this embodiment, as shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1C in this embodiment, the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b are formed so as to extend from the centers of the speakers 3a and 3b in the inclined direction with respect to the long side 6e thereof and in the direction apart from each other in plan view, and the two sound releasing holes 10a and 10b are arranged in line so as not to be overlapped with respect to each other in plan view as shown in
Like the electro-optic device 1A shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1C shown in
The electro-optic device 1C shown in
Referring now to the drawings, another embodiment of the invention will be described. In the drawings used in the description shown below, contraction scale is differentiated for the respective layers and the respective members in order to present the respective layers and the respective members in recognizable scales in the drawings.
The electro-optic device 1A shown in
In this embodiment, an example having two sound generating members, that is, the first sound generating member 21 and the second sound generating member 22 will be described. However, the number of sound generating member may be one, or three or more, and is not limited specifically. In this embodiment, an example having a first group and a second group, each having one sound generating member will be described. However, the number of the sound generating members in the first group and the second group may be two or more, and is not limited specifically.
The display area 6a of the liquid crystal display device 2 has a rectangular shape as shown in
The frame 4 is formed of, for example, resin, and is formed substantially into a quadratic prism or a rectangular plate. One of the surfaces of the frame 4 (the lower surface in
The speakers 3a and 3b generate sounds and, as shown in
The plurality of sound releasing holes 10a and 10b which constitute the first sound generating member 21 and the second sound generating member 22 are arranged in the peripheral area 4a located on the outside of the display area 6a in plan view as shown in
The sound releasing hole 10a is arranged so that the center of the width d1 of the peripheral area 4a matches the center of the width d3 of the sound releasing hole 10a in the direction orthogonal to the direction along the outer edge 6d. With the arrangement such that the center of the width d1 of the peripheral area 4a substantially matches the center of the width d3 of the sound releasing hole 10a, when the surface area of the peripheral area 4a is reduced, the strength of the peripheral portion of the sound releasing hole 10a is easily secured.
The recess 4b having a rectangular shape in plan view is provided at a center of the other surface of the frame 4 (the upper surface in
The vertical channels 81a and 81b are provided by the same number as the sound releasing holes 10a and 10b in the direction orthogonal to the direction of extension of the display area 6a, and have the same shape as the sound releasing holes 10a and 10b in plan view. The vertical channels 81a and 81b are formed in the peripheral area 4a along the short sides 6b and 6c of the display area 6a as shown in
The horizontal channels 82a and 82b are provided in the direction parallel with the direction of extension of the display area 6a. The horizontal channel 82a which constitutes the sound conducting channel 9a connects all the vertical channels 81a which communicate with the respective sound releasing holes 10a and the first air chamber 8a, and the horizontal channel 82b which constitute the sound conducting channel 9b connects all the vertical channel 81b which communicate with the respective sound releasing holes 10b and the first air chamber 8b.
In this embodiment, an example of the sound generating member having the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b provided with the horizontal channels 82a and 82b which connect all the vertical channels 81a and 81b which communicate with the respective sound releasing holes 10a and 10b and the first air chambers 8a and 8b has been described. However, the branch points of the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b do not have to be necessarily the connecting portions between the vertical channels 81a and 81b and the horizontal channels 82a and 82b, and may be located in the vertical channel or in the horizontal channel. Therefore, the horizontal channel of the sound conducting channel may be divided into the same number as the number of the sound releasing holes and are communicated independently with the respective vertical channels. In this embodiment, the example in which the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b provided with the vertical channels 81a and 81b divided into the same number as the number of the sound releasing holes 10a and 10b over the entire length has been described. However, the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b must simply be divided at least part of the vertical channel on the side of the sound releasing hole into the same number as the number of the sound releasing holes.
Here, in the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b, the longer the portion of the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b divided into the same number as the number of sound releasing holes 10a and 10b, the more the amount of material which constitute the frame 4 in the peripheral portion of the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b is needed, and hence the strength is enhanced. The longer the portion of the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b which is not divided, the higher the ratio of the portion of the sound conducting channel having a large surface area with respect to the entire lengths of the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b would be, and hence the preferable sound quality is achieved.
The holding frame 5 is formed of metal such as aluminum or stainless steel, and is formed into a shape like a square pipe having a rectangular shape in plan view. As shown in
In the first sound generating member 21 and the second sound generating member 22 shown in
Stored in the recess 4b of the frame 4 is, as shown in
The illumination device 7 is arranged on the side of the frame 4 (lower side) of the liquid crystal panel 6, and serves as a backlight. The illumination device 7 may be configured to function as a front light by arranging on the observing side of the liquid crystal panel 6. The illumination device 7 may be configured, for example with a plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) as light sources and a light guide. In the illumination device 7 of this type, light rays emitted from the LEDs are converted into a surface light by the light guide and supplied to the liquid crystal panel 6. The light sources may be a point light source other than the LED, or a linear light source such as a cold-cathode tube.
As the liquid crystal panel 6, for example, a liquid crystal panel formed by sealing liquid crystal between a pair of light-transmissive substrates each having an electrode may be employed. Polarized plates each having a polarization axis shifted as needed is provided respectively on the outer surfaces of the pair of light-transmissive substrates. When the surface light is supplied from the illumination device 7 to the liquid crystal panel 6, the light passing through the liquid crystal is modulated in each pixel by controlling the voltage to be applied to the pair of electrodes independently in each pixel, and the images such as characters, numbers or patterns are displayed on the light-exit side of the polarizing plate by allowing the modulated light to pass through the polarizing plate.
The liquid crystal panel 6 may be configured with arbitrary display modes. For example, the liquid crystal driving system may either be a simple matrix system or an active matrix system. The type of the liquid crystal mode may be, for example, TN (Twisted Nematic), STN (Super Twisted Nematic). The lighting system may any one of transmissive, reflective, and transflective types. In this embodiment, the illumination device 7 is employed, and hence the lighting system is of the transmissive or the transflective type.
Referring now to
A different point of the electro-optic device shown in
According to the electro-optic device shown in
One each of the vertical channels 83a and 83b of the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b is provided in the direction orthogonal to the direction of extension of the display area 6a as shown in
Since the electro-optic device shown in
According to the electro-optic device shown in
According to the electro-optic device shown in
Now, according to the electro-optic device shown in
In contrast, the electro-optic device 1A shown in
Since the first sound generating member 21 and the second sound generating member 22 each includes the plurality of the sound releasing holes 10a and 10b arranged in the peripheral area 4a and the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b provided with the plurality of vertical channels 81a and 81b which communicates the plurality of sound releasing holes 10a and 10b and the first air chambers 8a and 8b respectively, each of the sound releasing holes 10a and 10b and each of the vertical channels 81a and 81b communicating with the respective sound releasing holes 10a and 10b may be regarded as one set, and hence the one set may be arranged adequately so as to reduce the surface area of the peripheral area 4a. Therefore, the arrangement of the respective sound releasing holes 10a and 10b is not determined by the arrangement of the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b, and hence the respective sound releasing holes 10a and 10b and the vertical channels 81a and 81b may be arranged adequately so as to reduce the surface area of the peripheral area 4a, so that the surface area of the peripheral area 4a required for arranging the sound releasing holes 10a and 10b and the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b may be significantly reduced.
According to the electro-optic device 1A shown in
In this manner, according to the electro-optic device 1A in this embodiment, the surface area of the peripheral area required for arranging the sound releasing holes 10a and 10b and the vertical channels 81a and 81b may be reduced.
According to the electro-optic device 1A in this embodiment, since the speakers 3a and 3b are overlapped with the display area 6a in plan view, the electro-optic device 1A may be downsized in comparison with the case in which the speakers 3a and 3b are arranged in the peripheral area 4a.
According to the electro-optic device 1A in this embodiment, since the sound releasing holes 10a and 10b are provided on the same surface as the display area 6a, the sound is ear friendly to the viewer viewing the display.
According to the electro-optic device 1A in this embodiment, since the speakers 3a and 3b are arranged in line so as not to be overlapped with each other in plan view, the thinner electro-optic device is achieved in comparison with the case in which the speakers 3a and 3b are arranged so as to overlap with each other.
In addition, according to the electro-optic device 1A in this embodiment, the speakers 3a and 3b are arranged in line so as not to be overlapped with each other in plan view, the lengths of the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b may be equalized in both the first sound generating member 21 and the second sound generating member 22, and the phase of the sound outputted from the sound releasing holes 10a and 10b may be equalized, whereby a well balanced sound, which is ear friendly for the viewer, is advantageously achieved.
According to the electro-optic device 1A in this embodiment, an example in which the speakers 3a and 3b are supported by the frame 4 by the supporting frame 14 being secured to the lower surface of the frame 4 has been described. However, the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and, for example, the speakers 3a and 3b may be supported by the holding frame 5 by the supporting frame 14 being secured to the inner surface of the holding frame 5 via the shock absorbing members 23 as in the case of the electro-optic device 2A shown in
As shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1A shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1B in this embodiment, a sound conducting channel 91 of the first sound generating member 21 is formed in the frame 41 and the holding frame 51 as shown in
Like the electro-optic device 1A in
Like the electro-optic device 1A in
According to the electro-optic device 1b in this embodiment, since the speakers 3a, 3b are arranged so as to overlap with each other in plan view, it is difficult to form the sound conducting channels 91, 9b for the first sound generating member 21 and the second sound generating member 22 in the same length. Therefore, according to the electro-optic device 1B in this embodiment, it is preferable to differentiate the cross-sectional areas of the sound conducting channel 91 and the sound conducting channel 9b significantly to compensate the difference in sound quality caused by the difference in length between the sound conducting channels 91 and 9b and equalize the phase of the sounds generated from the sound releasing holes 10a and 10b. More specifically, the difference in sound quality caused by the difference in length of the sound conducting channels 91, 9b are adequately compensated by a method of increasing the cross-sectional area of the sound conducting channel 91, which is the longer one, or a method of reducing the cross sectional area of the sound conducting channel 9b, which is the shorter one, whereby a well balanced sound, which is ear friendly for the viewer, is advantageously achieved.
Referring now to
A different point of the electro-optic device shown in
According to the electro-optic device shown in
One each of vertical channels 87a and 87b of the sound conducting channels 9a and 9b is provided in the direction orthogonal to the direction of extension of the display area 6a as shown in
Since the electro-optic device shown in
According to the electro-optic device shown in
According to the electro-optic device shown in
In contrast, according to the electro-optic device 1B shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1B shown in
In addition, according to the electro-optic device 1B shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1A shown in
Although the electro-optic device 1B shown in
Unlike the electro-optic device 2A shown in
According to electro-optic device 1C shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1C shown in
The electro-optic device 1C shown in
Unlike the electro-optic device shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1D shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1D shown in
According to the electro-optic device 1D shown in
Although some aspects of the invention has been described on the basis of preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modification may be made within the scope of the invention described in Claims.
For example, although the liquid crystal display device is employed as the display unit of the electro-optic device in the description shown above, other display devices, such as the EL display device or the plasma display device may be employed instead of the liquid crystal display device. Although the sound generating member employing the oscillating plate and the piezoelectric element has been described as an example of the speaker, the sound generating member is not limited to speaker with such a structure, and the sound generating member provided with speakers in various structures may be used as needed.
First Embodiment of Electronic ApparatusThe mobile phone 80 in
Although some aspects of the invention has been described on the basis of preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modification may be made within the scope of the invention described in Claims. For example, the electronic apparatus according to the aspects of the invention may be personal computers, liquid crystal TVs, digital still cameras, watches, viewfinder type or monitor-direct-vision video tape recorders, car navigation systems, pagers, electronic data books, calculators, word processors, workstations, TV phones, POS terminals, and other various types of apparatus in addition to the mobile phone described above.
The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application Nos: 2006-080313, filed Mar. 23, 2006 and 2006-080314, filed Mar. 23, 2006 are expressly incorporated by reference herein.
Claims
1. An electro-optic device comprising: a display unit having a display area and a plurality of sound generating members,
- wherein the plurality of sound generating members each include a speaker which is arranged so as to overlap the display area in plan view, and a sound releasing hole that outputs sounds generated by the speaker toward the outside, wherein the plurality of sound releasing holes which constitutes the plurality of sound generating members are arranged on the outside of the display area in plan view along part of the sides of the display area.
2. The electro-optic device according to claim 1, wherein the dimensions of the sound releasing hole are configured in such a manner that the dimension of the direction orthogonal to the direction extending along an outer edge of the display area is shorter than the dimension of the direction along the outer edge of the display area.
3. The electro-optic device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of speakers which constitute the plurality of sound generating members are arranged in line so as not overlap with each other in plan view.
4. The electro-optic device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of speakers which constitute the plurality of sound generating members are arranged so as to overlap at least partly with each other in plan view.
5. An electro-optic device comprising:
- a display unit having a display area and a sound generating member,
- wherein the sound generating member includes a speaker arranged so as to overlap the display area in plan view, an air chamber which includes with the speaker therein, a plurality of sound releasing holes arranged in a peripheral area located on the outside of the display area in plan view, and a plurality of branched sound conducting channels each of which communicates each of the plurality of sound releasing holes and the air chamber.
6. The electro-optic device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of sound releasing holes are arranged in a row along the outer edge of the display area.
7. The electro-optic device according to claim 5, wherein the display area has a rectangular shape and all the plurality of sound releasing holes are arranged along one side of the rectangle.
8. The electro-optic device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of sound generating members may be provided.
9. The electro-optic device according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of speakers which constitute the plurality of sound generating members are arranged so as not to overlap with each other in pan view.
10. The electro-optic device according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of speakers which constitute the plurality of sound generating members may be arranged so as to overlap at least partly with each other in plan view.
11. The electro-optic device according to claim 8, wherein the display area has a rectangular shape, the plurality of sound generating members are divided into a first group and a second group, the plurality of sound releasing holes of the sound generating members which constitute the first group are all arranged along one side of the rectangle, and the plurality of sound releasing holes of the sound generating members which constitute the second group are all arranged along the side opposing one side of the rectangle.
12. The electro-optic device according to claim 5, wherein the dimensions of the sound releasing hole are configured in such a manner that the dimension of the direction orthogonal to the direction extending along an outer edge of the display area is shorter than the dimension of the direction along the outer edge of the display area.
13. An electronic apparatus comprising any one of electro-optic devices according to claim 1.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 28, 2007
Publication Date: Sep 27, 2007
Applicant: EPSON IMAGING DEVICES CORPORATION (Tokyo)
Inventor: Hiroshi WADA (Azumino)
Application Number: 11/680,138
International Classification: H04R 25/00 (20060101); G02F 1/1333 (20060101);